Method of making forged insulator caps



&SH; OSBORNE union or mmm ?onash IIISULA'I'OR -CAPS Filed !lay 28. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet May 14, 1929.

\ D. H. os'BoRNEv NE'I'HOD OF KING FORGED INSULATOR CAPS Filed May 28. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet ?atented'May 14, 929.`

, 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID E. OSBORNE, OF BALTIMOBE, MARY LAND, ASSIGNOR TO LOCKE INSULATOR CORPORATION, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

METHOD OF MAKING FORGED INSULATOB CAPS.

A lication filed May 28, 1925. Serial No. 33,538.

The invention relates to metal caps for insulators used for supporting high tension conductors.

It is well known that insulator caps are usually :Eormed in the shape of an inverted cup with means at its top 'or connection with another insulator or with a supporting element, the cup being Secured upon an up- 'standing neck on the insulator body; and that the common practice is to form such caps as castings.

The principal object of the present invention, generally stated, is the provision of a method of making such caps by forging in contradistinction to cast-ing. e

The object of the invention, more specifically stated, is to provide a forged cap of the socket type together with a method of forging or making the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of securng in place the partition element which is located between the body or main portion of the cap and the socket which is provided for connection with a suspension bolt element of an adjacent insulator or of a support, the method avoiding upsetting of any portion of the cap wall.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of making forged caps in which the operation will be simple and inexpensive and the number of steps and handlings considerably reduced. To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects and advantages the invention consists in the method to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings where n:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a blank from which the cap may be made,

Figure 2 is a vertical section through a pair of coacting dies in use and in the act of forming the cap,

Figure 3 is a sectional 'View through the cap formed by the dies, this View also illustrating two subsequent steps in the method,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the method of inserting the partition element or diaphragm,

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the diaphragm in final position,

Figure 6 is a vertical section through the cap in active or applied position with the suspension bolt in place,

Figure 7 is a section on the line 7--7 of Figure 6 showing a plan of the cap,

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 6 illustrating the retaining element for holding the bolt in place.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I have, in Figure 1, illustrated a cylindrical metal blank 1 from which the cap may be formed. Any preferred or necessary preliminary steps may be gone through with, if found advisable, in the working of the blank into the cap but in Figure 2 I have shown upper and lower dies 2 and 3 which are adapted to act upon the blank, either in the first place or after preliminary treat ment, 'for the purpose of ressing it into the desired cup-like shape. he dies are of such nature and have such configurations that they will press the blank to define a cupshaped body 4 having a reduced end portion 5 formed with a socket 6. In caps of the socket type the end portion 5 is fOlTfiCd with an opening 7 which is of elongatcd elliptical shape and which communicates with an opening 8 extending laterally from the center thereof for a purpose to be explained. `The upper die 2 is also so shaped as to define a shoulder'9 and a circular wall 10 having a flattened portion 11 on the inside of the cap adjacent the socket portion 6. The lower die-3 has an extension portion 12 thereon which will define an inwardly pressed flat portion or surface 13 on the exterior and interier of the reduced end portion 5 of the cap. The upper die is of such form' as to define-a shoulder 14: spaced from theshoulder 9 and located at a point opposite the flattened outer wall portion 13.

Subscquent to the forming of the cap by the dies, the larger end of the body is crimped, spun or otherwise treated to. provide a flange 15 which extends inwardly at an angle, and which coacts with the cement commonly used for securing the cap to an insulator body. A hole 16 is drilled through the wall of the socket portion at the above mentioned inwardly pressed portion 13 for the reception of an element to be described.

In insulator caps of the socket t e disclosed it is considered necessary to ave a partition between the body or main portion of the cap and the socket portion and in accordance with this requirement I preferably nake use of a disk or diaphragm 17 of resilient metal and of arsize to be filted very .tightly within the confincs of the wall 10 and against the shoulder portion 9 of the cap. At one edge of this disk is fiattened Or cut away along a straight line as indicated at 18 for cngagcucnt against the flattened interior surface of the cap, these two surfaces or porti'ons acting as a guide to determine the position' of the disk with respect to the cap. The reason for having guide means for determining the position of the disk with respect to the cap is that the disk is preferably initially formed with pressed out projections 19 arranged in spaced relation and adapted to serve as guides and rctaining means for a spring cotter 20 which is provided for a purpose to be described. The disk is of such size that when initially inserted it will not fit in place and to force it into place some suitable plunger 'device 21 may be placed against the center ofthe disk and pressure applied so as to flex the disk as shown in Figure 4. Obviously, this flexure will render the disktemporarily concavo-conveX in form and will have the effect of reducing the diameter so that the disk may be forced into place within the wall 10 and upon the shoulder 9. When this is done and the pressure subsequently relieved the resilient nature of the disk will cause it to resume its fiat or planar condition, the diameter consequently increasing so that its periphery will bear firmly against the wall 10 adjacent the shoulder 9. In'

actual practice the holding action thus obtained is as secure, to all practical purpses, as if the disk were welded or otherwise held.

?Insulator caps of this general character are ordinarily galvanized in order to provide them with a non-rusting coating so as not to be influenced by the weather, and in the present instance this galvanizing may be done before or after the partition disk is placed in position, this detail being immaterial.

Assuming that the cap has been formed and the disk placed in position, the cap may be Secured upon the insulator' body in the usual manner though such is not illustrated, as forming no part of the present invention. In practice, eaps of this character are suspended by means of bolts having heads adapted to be inserted within the socket portions. In Figures 6 and 7 I have shown such a bolt 22 having a head 23 of circular shape. To assemble the bolt and cap, they must be canted with respect to each other so that the head 23 may be inserted edgewise through the opening -7, the stem of the bolt being located in the lateral opening 8. After the edge of the head has been inserted the bolt is rocked to withdraw the stem portion from the opening 8 so that it may extend coaxially with the cap as shown in Figure 6, the head thon engaging beneath the overhanging ed ges of the openings 7 and 8 as indicated in Figures 6 and 7.

To maintain the bolt against subsequent displacement, the above mentioned. cotter 20 is inserted through the hole 16, the projections 19 on the disk serving as guide means. The arms 24: of the cotter will extend substantially entirely across the socket with their ends engaging bene-ath the shoulder-14. Displacement of the cotter in one direction will thus be prevented. The arms 24 of the cotter are preferably formed with outwardly extending humps 25 which will engage between the projections 19 on the disk and the inner wall of the socket at the flattened portion 13 so that accidental retraction of the cotter will be prevented. Obviously, when this cotter is in place the bolt cannot be rocked to a suflicient extent with respect to the cap to elect removal of the head through the opening 7.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will be apparent that I have thus provided a novel forged insulator cap and method of making the same, the cap being comparatively inexpensive inasmuch as the number of necessary steps in the method have been reduced to the minimum. An extremely simple method has been devised for efecting securing of the partition disk without welding or upsetting the material to provide retaining means. In previous methods the greatest difliculty has been eneountered in placing and securing the partition disk in place and in this particular the present invention is especially advantageous on account of the ease with which the disk may be inserted.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention and details of Construction and arrangement together with a statement as to the various steps involved and their seqluence it should be understood that this disc osure is merely illustrative inasmuch as I reserve the right to make all such changes as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

l. The method of making an insulator cap or the like, which includes forging a cup with a socket portion thereon and with an annular shoulder and an annular wall at the base of the socket portion, forging a partition member with guide portons thereon, forcing the partition member into en agement with said shoulder and wall and erming a' hole in the socket portion for the reeeption of a retaining element insertable between the guides.

2. The method of making an insulator cap mmooo 33 3. The method of making en irsuieaor cep or the iike, which inehes forgirg e cop With e socket portion thereon having e slo 'Ied opening therein, forming e holle in one side of the sooket portion, forging e; pe-ML iron member With space@ pro eetions, ;foremg &he parttion member into ti e cop rs juiciure with the socke; portion endi With said projeeiions at opposie sides of seid hoie and insertirg e spring reieioer ihrough said hoie to'exiend across the soeket portion.

4..A31 insuletor cep oomprising en inverted cup-like body forme& at its Ripper end With a socket portion having opemi gs athereii, e pertition member ai: the %ose of 'the sooket portion, the partition member being forme& withfupstruek space& projectiors and ehe side of the socket portion being forme& with-an opening between seid projeetions, e suspension element having e head oeaed within ehe eooket portion and heving e shenk eiii/ending *through one of he opening., e reeining elemen a extening %Enough seid hole in engagement with ehe parti'ion member emi *the heacl located between said projections.

5 An insuietor cop comprising invere& capiike body form eci et iis upper emi With a soeket portion having opeiiirgs ihereiii, e partitien memi-Qer et the base of the soei e portion, the partition member being forme@ Wih ipstruck space& projee'ioris the side of the sooket portion being forme& With en opening between said projections, e suspension element having e head ooaed within the socket portion and heving e shami:: extending 'through one of the ooeriigs nd a reteining element extening through seid hoie in engagemert With 'the pertiion member en& the head and looaeci between seid projeotiois, said reteinirg eiement having oppositeiy extending humps engaging between 'the projeciions and the ed jeoerit Weii of the soeket portion.

in testimony whereo' I afiix my signature.

Demo HENRY oeeoeee. 

